Lacor 69192 portable sous vide cooker

New model, improved design. More watertight.

What is sous vide, the low-temperature cooker, or Roner?

Sous vide, meaning “under vacuum” in French, is a low-temperature cooking method in which the food is vacuum-packed. The utensil or appliance used for this cooking is also known as sous vide, low-temperature cooker or Roner. This last name, Roner, is a trademark registered by chefs Joan Roca and Narcís Caner, who created and made famous this type of appliance as we know it today, to the point that the Roner brand is often confused with the generic name of this appliance, just as happens with sous vide, which is actually the name of the cooking technique that dates back many decades before the invention of this superb appliance.

These appliances consist of a heater and a thermostat with a probe that maintain a set temperature with great precision. Some models, like this one, are portable and can be fitted to stockpots, containers or casserole pans you already have at home; other compact models include the container built into the cooker itself, and you can also find these compact models in this online shop.

This Lacor portable sous vide has a programmable control unit that keeps a constant temperature between 5 and 99 °C with an extraordinary precision of 0.1 °C, and it also has a built-in small turbine that moves 6 litres of water per minute, keeping the water circulating and the temperature stable throughout the container, ensuring even, uniform cooking throughout the food.

What is vacuum and low-temperature cooking?

It is a cooking method widely used in top restaurants. It involves subjecting food to a vacuum to force a faster marinade, as the marinade penetrates the food more deeply, while also sealing it hermetically so that neither the cooking water gets in nor its juices and gelatines are lost, with the food always cooking in its own liquids and/or marinade.

This type of vacuum cooking bag must be certified not only for food use but also to withstand heat over long periods; not just any vacuum-packing bag will do. In this online shop, Hiperchef.com, you can also find specific bags for cooking.

Once the food is packed, place the bag in the Roner's water, which is always kept at a stable temperature below 99 °C — most commonly between 60 and 65 °C, though there are also cooking processes around 45 °C. Times and temperatures vary depending on the type of food and the size of the piece, and you can always shorten cooking times by raising the Roner's temperature — roughly double the time for every 10 °C lower — but, depending on the cut, the lower the temperature the better the results. The time–temperature relationship is very important, which is why we need a very precise appliance that maintains a stable temperature. We must also bear in mind that at around 70 °C the collagens in the meat are broken down by the heat.

This technique achieves new flavours and textures in all kinds of food that cannot be obtained any other way. Until quite recently this type of low-temperature cooker was very expensive — only professional models such as the Roner, affordable for professional settings where heavy use and the quality of the results justified the cost. Now, thanks to the notable drop in the price of low-temperature or sous vide cookers, these appliances are reaching our homes, bringing haute cuisine into our kitchens and dining rooms without having to spend large sums of money.

ACCESSORIES

You can also buy this low-temperature cooker with a 1/1 Gastronorm polycarbonate container 200 mm deep and 26 litres in capacity, plus a lid to greatly reduce water loss through evaporation.

Joan Roca's book "La cocina al vacío" and "Sous Vide" by Hubertus Tzschirner and Thomas A. Vilgis are available to help you fully master this cooking technique.

Don't forget to buy the special packing bags that withstand cooking temperatures.